Valerie's Choice
by steepedinshadows419
Summary: post-movie, pre-final scene. Before Peter returns to Valerie, Henry finds his way to her and in the absence of Peter, the two form a bond that makes Valerie's choice not as straightforward as it once was. Henry/Valerie/Peter. Multi-Chap.
1. Ever Present

**Chapter 1 – Ever Present**

The fire crackled amidst logs surrounded by stones in the pit where they all ate, drank and talked. Another wolf disposed of, one less monster in the world, but his head was elsewhere. Minutes turned into hours and slowly most of the men made their way to the tents on the border of the woods.

"She's pretty."

He jumped and the Captain chuckled lightly, coming to sit beside him on an adjoining boulder.

"Just me, kid."

Henry nodded, saying nothing. It felt odd keeping his drawing of Valerie out in the open, but he didn't want to put it away, so it lay pinned between his thumb and forefinger, making him sweat and go numb.

"She's the girl from your hometown, isn't she? The one—"

"Yeah," he cut him off. "Valerie."

"Whatever happened to her?"

Henry sighed. "I don't know. Peter, who she truly loved, disappeared unexpectedly. I thought I heard that she moved into her grandmother's house after she died, but…she could have just as easily gone with him. On the last search for the wolf, she bid me goodbye. To be careful." He paused, almost laughing at himself that he still clung to the memory. "That's the last time I saw her."

"That was three months ago."

Henry turned to him. "You kept track?"

The Captain smiled and looked at him knowingly. "Let's just say the experience with your wolf was not of the typical variety when we're summoned."

Silence settled between them till all that could be heard was the continued crackling of the fire. When a snore broke out from a nearby tent, the Captain chuckled. Even Henry smiled.

"On that note, I think I'm going to head off myself." The Captain rose, briefly touching Henry's shoulder just before retreating to his tent. "I'm glad you're here, Henry."

He nodded. "Thank you, sir. Happy to be here."

The Captain smiled. "We'll be making our way back around to your hometown in another few weeks I should think." Henry's eyes widened. His lips parted. "Maybe you'll see your girl there."

Henry swallowed. "Yes, sir."

The Captain smiled and then turned around, his cape whooshing around him as he headed in the direction of the tents.

Henry lowered his gaze to the picture of Valerie again. No one knew of his aptitude for artistry, but as he'd watched Valerie grow and seen her forever turning her gaze from his to Peter's, he'd developed a love for her profile. Her graceful neck, large, curious eyes, and endless streams of long silken hair, made from the strands of angels he was sure…all called to him. He wanted to imprint it for himself somewhere but in the back of his own mind.

So he took up drawing at the age of twelve and progressed to where now, at nineteen, the picture was no different than if she were standing right before him. It lacked color, but always being on the road left him with few options. Not that he needed color to remember the shades and hues she embodied, or the way he felt about her still.

He closed his eyes and saw the drawing in color. He saw her expression change from impassive to curious to smiling to laughter. She had the most beautiful smile, the most vivacious spirit. He loved her.

 _Maybe you'll see your girl there._

He sighed and slipped the small drawing inside the large pocket sewn into his cloak.

She wasn't his girl, and she likely never would be. If his luck regarding her remained the same, she had probably already run off with Peter, the great love of her life. The thought sickened and depressed him. But he couldn't hate her for it. He couldn't even hate Peter. He wanted her to be happy, even if that meant never being with him, never loving him or wanting him the way he wanted her. Three months away from her hadn't changed it. No leering from bar maids or sincere gratefulness from young women in the villages he'd passed through with the monster hunters changed that.

Despite it all, his heart still skipped a beat at the thought of seeing her again. Having more than a drawing and a memory to remember her by encouraged him as nothing else could have.

He poked the fire with a stick until it finally went out. Then he retreated to his tent and fell into a restful sleep.


	2. Surprise Visitor

**SPOILER -** Fair warning to anyone reading this…while this story will be written giving both couples equal time and making Valerie truly torn, it will end pro-Henry. Normally I don't want to give out the end result to the story, but I've read a couple stories myself where I wish I knew at the beginning which couple the writer intended to end with because I was in excruciating pain throughout and it felt like it was all for nothing when I finally realized which direction the story was going, so while there will be plenty of Peter&Valerie goodness, it won't happen for awhile and more or less it won't be enough. You've been warned.

*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended. For entertainment purposes only.

…

 **Chapter 2 – Surprise Visitor**

 _3 weeks later…_

It was the smartest thing she could have done, moving past to the outskirts of the village to her grandmother's house. Too much had happened in the place she'd grown up. She'd been hunted, taunted, left as bait for the big bad wolf – who ironically turned out to be her own father – and lost people she cared deeply about. While it was true that she lost two more under the same roof she slept every night, it didn't feel that way. Even those losses felt connected to the village. She felt free of all those burdens here, and safe.

What she had not anticipated was the loneliness.

Her mother came to the house on a whim a few days after Valerie had left, and had stumbled across her daughter. After much eager persuasion she was faced with the reality that her only living relation was not coming home. Valerie said nothing about the fate of her father. Even the knowledge of it traveling between sacred lips back home filled with dread she could not get rid of it unless she refused to let it out.

Valerie promised to visit, but so far hadn't, and made no plans to. Her mother had never come for a return visit.

As a distraction from her loneliness, she fixated most of her time on gardening. It was early spring and flowers were blooming all around her. There were plots along the side of the house and blossoms in the trees. In the distant were fields filled with wildflowers. It was a beautiful sight she had always loved seeing growing up. Now waking up to it, it was even more spectacular.

And the little furry creatures from the woods, that she never so much as contemplated killing – thanks to the reminder of her one-time childhood venture from dearest dad – kept her great company.

Still, she missed Peter. She would wait for him. _Of course_ she would wait for him. She wanted nothing more than for them to be together and start a family, maybe even some place far away from here where everything could be forgotten. But she understood, and she loved him all the more for wanting to keep her safe. He didn't know if he could control any urges on every full moon. And with that night being the only time he could practice – so to speak – it would likely be months before he returned. It had already been almost four and he still hadn't found his way back to her. In the recesses of her mind a pain clutched at her, the thought that maybe he wasn't coming back.

She shook away the thought, because he was the only lifeline she had to hold on to. If she couldn't cling to that, what was there left for her? A life in isolation? She certainly wouldn't wander past her grandmother's house. She knew better now. Danger might have hit closest to home this time, but that indicated that the outside world might be far worse.

Some scratching on the front door brought her out of her gloomy trance. She got up out of her chair and went to see who was there. She couldn't see anyone, so she opened the door and smiled as two bunnies sniffed at her feet. She bent down and lifted them into her hands, carrying them outside to the freshly harvested carrots she'd brought out earlier that morning. When she turned around, she gasped and froze. Then she swallowed. A man in armor came towards her, but before she could ask any questions or even reach for a weapon, he took his helmet off and she relaxed.

"Henry."

"Hello, Valerie," he said, lessening the gap between them. "I didn't scare you, did I?"

"No." She laughed. "I'm just…not used to visitors. Much less soldiers."

He looked down at his suit of armor as if seeing it for the first time.

"Yeah, it takes some getting used to, I suppose."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, gesturing to some stone steps where they could sit down. She offered him water and food, but he refused. She made a mental note to get him some if he chose to stay longer, since he was clearly exhausted.

"I'm still with the others," he said, sitting down on the step carefully. "Part of the job is checking in on the villages in the region, not just the ones who need a wolf extinguished." He tried to make a joke of it, but it was not going across well by the look on Valerie's face. He cleared his throat.

"You're not staying at home," he noted.

She shook her head.

"No. I couldn't go back there," she said. "Too much has happened."

He nodded. He understood.

"I had to leave too," he said.

Silence hung between them then and she knew the reason why. She wasn't very close with Henry, even after the events with the wolf. Thoughts of him certainly didn't keep her awake at night the way thoughts of Peter did. But she was proud of him for finding his courage and a purpose to his life. She was grateful for all he had done for her and almost considered him a friend. Maybe she owed him this.

"You're probably wondering why I didn't run off with Peter."

He avoided eye contact for a few seconds before nodding.

"Nothing's stopping you," he said. "You have no ties to the village."

"He left," she said, refusing to explain the circumstances surrounding Peter's departure. She didn't owe him _that_ much.

"I don't understand," he said slowly, clearly confused.

"I thought you two were…"

"Oh we were- are. Things just…happen…that you can't prepare for sometimes."

He nodded, aware she wouldn't say anything further.

"Are you okay out here?" he asked, looking around the colorful landscape. "Must be very lonely."

"I have friends," she said, a smile shining on her face as the two bunnies that had knocked on her door came over to join them. She lifted one into her hand to show him. "This is George." She looked down at the other one. "And that's his sister, Lucy."

Henry smiled a little. "Do they know they're brother and sister?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I remind them," she said.

He smiled wider, not looking away from her and she knew there were only two options left: politely kick her off her property or invite him in for refreshments.

"Are you encamped in the village?"

He nodded, his smile disappearing, but not into a frown.

"Just outside it actually, in the other direction."

Her eyes widened briefly.

"And you walked all this way to see me? You must be exhausted."

He shrugged. "I needed to see a friendly face."

She understood. While he didn't necessarily have public shame from his time in the village, his father _had_ died. There was nothing there for him except pity for his past and likely praise for his present deeds that he was probably used to hearing in every village he passed. Nothing genuine. Nothing _real_. On the barest of levels, she had always been honest with him. Or had tried at least.

"I have water," she offered.

The smile returned to his face, little though it was.

"Water sounds good."

She stood to her feet and helped him to his, watching as he made a valiant effort to conceal his blush.

"I have bread too," she said, smiling. "Inside the house."

His stomach growled as he began to follow her to the well near the back of the garden, and she giggled. She didn't turn around though because she knew he'd probably blush again and she wanted to spare him that.

"How long will you be staying?" she asked instead.

"A few days," he said. "Maybe a week."

She nodded, stopping at the well to lower the bucket and then pull it back up.

"You'll stay with your men then?"

"We have to make some routine checks. There has to be no sign of anything vile having threatened the safety of the village." He paused. "Or you."

"So all of you will come out to my little cottage to see if I've had any animal crossings?" She glanced across the meadow to see the bunnies chasing each other and deer prancing in the fields.

"I will," he said, and she looked up at him. Those eyes of his were so intense. She'd always thought so. It was a mystery to her how every girl he encountered hadn't fallen deep into them. She suspected though now they might. After all, he protected countless villages from fierce creatures and danger now. What woman wouldn't fall at his feet?

 _Me_.

Her mind flitted briefly to Peter, and she longed for him. Those eyes she could drown in forever. And maybe now she never would.

She blinked to bring herself back to the present.

"I'll carry that," Henry was saying as he took the pitcher of water she'd robotically poured into.

"Bread's inside." She forced a polite smile and led the way.

Despite the unintentional reminder of Peter's current state and unknown location, she felt better than she had in weeks, maybe months; maybe even since everything had fallen apart almost four months prior. Henry's sudden appearance practically on her doorstep had lightened her mood, distracting her from morbid thoughts that more and more had started to consume her. He was right in his assumption that she was lonely. And it felt wrong somehow, though she knew it definitely wasn't, but she was glad he had come and that he was deliberately spending time with her. It made her feel wanted and loved, even if he quite possibly had moved on and that was perfectly fine with her.

His eyes widened when he spotted the bread on the table, revealed immediately when Valerie unveiled it from the cloth that had been keeping it warm.

"Help yourself," she said, setting a small plate on the table and a knife. He looked up at her hesitantly, as if seeking permission. "Take as much as you'd like," she said. "I'm already making another."

He nodded and sat down as she turned to pull out more ingredients for another loaf of bread.

"Thank-you, Valerie." He took a bite and looked up at her again. "This is very good," he said, sounding astonished.

She smiled where she stood, bent over.

"My mother was an excellent baker," she said over her shoulder. "She taught me everything I know."

"I taste cinnamon," he said and she continued to smile.

"That's my special touch."

…

A/N: For anyone interested, I made a vid that kind of tells the premise of this story – more or less – up until this chapter at least. I'm pretty proud of the manips I was able to make, so if you want to check it out and maybe post a comment on youtube, that would be fabulous. If ffnet lets me, I will post the link on my profile. If that still doesn't work, feel free to PM me and maybe I can link you to it that way.


	3. Special Delivery

A/N: Thank-you to the few of you who are reading this fic. Sorry for the delay. This month has been pretty hectic for me in the worst possible way. Hopefully I can get back to updating regularly. I appreciate your patience.

*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

…

 **Chapter 3—Special Delivery**

It was after dark when he finally wandered back into town. The company had brought tents to set up, just as they did in every town they passed through, but the townspeople – seeing Henry – and remembering all that had happened, put them all up in the inn close to the center of town.

"How's your girl?" The Captain teased when Henry walked into his assigned room, only to find his superior sitting in a chair beside the window.

Henry's deer-caught-in-the-headlights look could not have been more obvious if he had tried. He wondered if he had stopped breathing.

The Captain smirked and got to his feet, walking towards the young man he'd grown close to in recent months.

"Valerie, right?"

Henry shook himself out of his reverie.

"I apologize for returning so late, Captain."

"I assume you've had dinner," The Captain continued.

Henry glanced down at the mug of ale in his The Captain's hand.

"I'm not hungry," Henry said, ignoring the question.

The Captain's smile spread wide across his face.

"You know, there's no rule against romantic entanglements in our company. It's just frowned upon simply because we are always moving." He paused a moment and then grew serious. "Leads to lots of heartbreak."

"Valerie is not—"

"Ah." The Captain smirked again, thoroughly satisfied by his little victory. "So it is Valerie."

Henry's mouth shut, then opened, then shut again.

The Captain smiled and walked around him, heading for the open door. He stopped and turned to look at Henry just before stepping out into the hall.

"Henry."

The young man turned to look at his superior.

"There is no wolf in your hometown. We are only passing through to be certain. Shouldn't take more than a couple days."

Henry nodded. "Yes, sir."

" _However_ …"

Henry looked at him hopefully.

"It looks as if one of our men has come down with a sickness of some sort."

There was silence.

"A _disease_ of some sort," The Captain repeated, louder this time.

There was a sound of forced coughing and heaving in the hall.

Henry's eyes widened when he realized the implications of what his captain was saying.

"Might take a week or more for him to fully heal. We can't be traveling with a sick man in our company and we can't leave him behind. Code of honor and loyalty and all that."

Henry said nothing, just stared, still in shock.

"Goodnight, Henry," The Captain said, and then he went out, shutting the door behind him.

…

That night Henry couldn't sleep. He wondered if he'd be able to the whole time he was there.

A whole _week_?

He had told Valerie a week might be possible but he knew he'd been pushing his luck. It hadn't been more than a week any place the company had traveled to unless there had been a wolf or some threat from the wild. Having confirmation of a solid week filled him with a surprising wonder and happiness he was afraid to embrace.

He'd expected to try and squeeze in one visit, maybe two to Valerie before he had to leave again. Seven days offered a lot more opportunities. It confused him a little because in one conversation The Captain had both discouraged his visits with Valerie and encouraged them. Still, it wasn't something he was going to waste. He'd waited too long all throughout his childhood letting Valerie and Peter develop something special while he was cooped up in his father's shop working from an early age. There'd been no chance for so much as a friendship to evolve, let alone romance. By the time he was available to start something it was too late. It was only through the arranging of their parents that an engagement had tied them together.

But how could he think of a future with Valerie now? Regardless if Peter came back or not, Valerie still had no feelings for him. The love she held for Peter wouldn't just evaporate now that he wasn't physically present. He doubted even after how long he'd been away they had dimmed in the slightest. Valerie's love ran deep and strong.

But she was an allure to him, calling to him just by existing, just by being in his head and him longing for her.

He wanted to see her again. He knew there would be work to do, but he wanted to make the time. He was mostly sure The Captain would cast a blind eye to him scurrying away for a few hours of the day. There was no knowing at one point the company return to his little village. Aside from the men, he had no real bond with anyone. It would be nice to have something with Valerie, even if it was only born out of her being polite. She seemed to enjoy his company well enough, and he enjoyed her without question. Just the thought of seeing her made his heart race.

"Sir?"

A knock at the door followed the small voice.

Henry resurfaced to reality and crossed the room to answer the door. A boy no more than eight stood there, a small towel-wrapped item in his hand. The boy's face was downcast, looking as shy as he had been at that age.

"What is it?" he asked.

The boy looked up at him, half-daunted the man had responded and half-relieved that he hadn't done so harshly.

"This was left for you." He raised his hands high to offer him the item in his hand.

Henry took it and looked at it curiously.

"Thank-you," he said, and the boy scampered off.

Henry turned back inside his room and closed the door behind him. He sat down on his bed and unfolded the red plaid towel. He smiled when he saw what it revealed.

Half a loaf of Valerie's specialty cinnamon bread and a note tucked beneath it.

 _Until we meet again_

 _-Valerie_


	4. Breadcrumbs and Broken Silence

A/N: Thank-you for your patience. I appreciate I have a few readers out there for this story. I was hijacked by one of my TV OTPs for the month of May, but steadily this month I've been catching up to my other fics & I've finally gotten around to this one. Thrilled there are more Henry/Valerie fans out there! Hope you enjoy.

*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

…

 **Chapter 4 – Breadcrumbs and Broken Silence**

He'd been grinning since he received Valerie's impromptu gift the night before. Just a few steps till he reached her door and he told himself he needed to be calm, composed, serious. But she opened the door before he got there and he smiled so wide his cheeks hurt.

"Henry!"

Her forced surprise made his heart race. She'd been anticipating his visit – _anticipating_ it.

Valerie frowned when she glanced at what Henry held in his hands.

"You didn't eat it," she accused.

Henry refocused and uncovered the bread she'd sent to him the night before, revealing a portion of it missing.

"I ate some," he assured her eagerly. "I just…wanted to share some…with you."

She smiled, barely hiding her teeth and stepped away to invite him in.

"Come in," she said when he stayed put on her front doorstep. "Let's eat."

…

Some time later, with only the kitchen table and slices of bread between them, Henry ever so casually found himself describing to Valerie how his time in other villages, amidst wolf-hunting, had been. Particularly, the perks.

"Stale bread and _crackers_?" she laughed.

He decided he loved her laugh. He couldn't remember ever having heard it in direct relation to something he was saying. That made him love it even more.

He smiled around the last bite of bread he'd stuffed into his mouth, and he nodded.

"I don't believe it." She leaned back in her chair. "You guys go around to villages across all the land, saving people from these vicious werewolves, and all they have to give you is stale bread and crackers?"

He swallowed his food and tried to suppress his grin.

"Well, they give us beer too," he assured her.

Her smile was so wide, her eyes sparkling with so much laughter that he had to catch his breath before continuing. He was afraid his heart might give out.

"And, in their defense, they have to pay us a lot in gold just to get our services. What do they have left but scraps?"

Valerie rolled her eyes, unconvinced.

"No way. You're their savior. I mean, when the guys were here for us…" Her brows furrowed and an adorable pout formed on her lips as she tried to remember what exactly they had done for them.

Henry looked at her innocently enough when she resurfaced from her deep thinking.

"Well, I'm sure we didn't give them anything _stale_."

Henry smirked. "They also had a pretty tough guy as their leader then."

Valerie sank into herself, remembering, and Henry wished he hadn't brought it up.

"Someone like that wouldn't have any qualms about pushing the townspeople around for a lavish meal," she murmured.

Henry nodded, avoiding eye contact. Silence ensued.

"There may have been fish," he finally said, to which she burst laughing and threw another piece of bread at him.

"I bet the crackers weren't stale either!"

He ducked away from further pieces of food being thrown at him and laughed, his heavy heart light again. When he looked up, Valerie had gone into the kitchen.

"Is it safe?" he asked hesitantly, crouching alongside the table.

"Come by the fireplace," she said ominously, "and you'll see."

He was slow getting there but the sight of her silhouetted near the flames and pouring hot cider for the both of them was worth it.

"Tell me more of your adventures," she said as he took a seat on the large chair in the center of the room – the one she usually chose, of course, but living alone had its privileges.

Henry asked lazily, "What do you want to know?"

"Well…" She sat down in the chair adjacent to his. "You told me you were going to leave to find your courage."

He nodded, somber. He understood now why that time was difficult for Valerie to acknowledge in conversation. There were few happy memories for him then either.

"Did you?"

He blinked, rousing himself from his thoughts.

"Did I what?"

"Find your courage."

Henry leaned back in his chair and let his mind wander back to the beginning, to when he'd decided there was nothing left for him in the only place he'd ever known. He'd thought then that either Peter would be discovered as the wolf and be killed, or that Valerie would find Peter, untainted by any wolf curse and they would finally get their happy ending. The true wolf would still be found and killed and that would be the end of it.

The wolf was never found, but there were no more deaths, so the people in the village had to assume that the creature had somehow escaped.

Henry didn't wait around to say goodbye to Valerie or to find out what her next steps would be. In his weakest of moments, part of him had wanted Peter to be the wolf. It wasn't that he despised the guy so much he wanted him dead, or even the fact that with Peter out of the picture, _he_ might have a chance with Valerie. It was the thought of Valerie trusting herself so completely into someone else's hands and maybe being hurt because of it. The fact that Peter seemed to be the one person she thought could never be the wolf made her vulnerable.

At least that's what he told himself at night, so he didn't have to justify the fact that people's growing suspicion that he was the wolf made him want to throw the blame on Peter, who was not only free from blame but also held the heart of the woman he loved and was more or less set to marry her.

It made him mad that Valerie's grandmother suspected him so strongly and found it so curiously odd that he would still care for her granddaughter even after their engagement had been broken.

It was as if she didn't know, and maybe she hadn't… that it was _he_ who bartered with his father to convince Valerie's parents why marriage between the two of them would be a good idea, an excellent idea in fact.

Henry had watched Peter and Valerie growing up together, hardly paying attention to another soul, so wrapped up in each other, so in love since the time they were children. And then him – Henry – watching from the sidelines, gazing after Valerie hopelessly as if she was a dream brought to life, an angel from above. He was very subtle in his occasional attempts to pursue her, but it was all in vain. By the time they were all thirteen, he'd accepted she wasn't going to even try to see him in a different light as long as Peter was in the way.

So, he became the dark brooder, desired by many of the other girls in the village, but completely unattainable. When his mother died, his mood only intensified. _And then his father…_

"Henry?"

He blinked again, refocusing on her face, which was now full of concern.

"Huh?"

"Are you alright?" she asked, holding up a cup of cider to him.

Hesitantly, he took it from her and drank.

"This is good," he said, and forced a smile.

"My grandmother's recipe."

He drank some more.

She sighed and sank into her chair.

"Did something…happen to you out there, Henry?"

Not out _there_. _Here_. Before I left.

"Maybe I'll tell you sometime," he said instead.

Shakily she forced herself to relax.

"Nothing _really_ bad," he assured her, and she nodded, relaxing for real this time.

The tension had returned though, and he hated it. It occurred to him that maybe if he had just told her what he was thinking, it wouldn't be quite so bad as it was, but he doubted it. He seemed to have a knack for screwing up perfectly pleasant conversations with her. Maybe that was why there had been no lasting spark between them.

He wondered then if there would ever be a time when any talk of the past could avoid awkward tension, no matter how brief.

"Can I come back tomorrow?" he asked, making no attempt to move.

This would be the true test, he thought. If all this unintentional awkwardness he kept creating was making her too uncomfortable, he was sure she'd come up with a good excuse for him to stay away. Or maybe a bad excuse. He wouldn't be blind to the meaning behind whatever it was she said. The latter would just hurt more.

"Are you leaving?" she asked, a crease forming in the middle of her forehead. That was enough for him.

He relaxed again and told himself not to smile too wide.

"No," he said, "Just thinking ahead."

She smiled tremulously and nodded.

"I'd like if you came again, Henry." She took a drink of her own cider, and then turned to tend to the fire. "If you're not too busy that is."

His smile widened for as long as she was turned away and his heart beat faster.

He knew he had a habit of overthinking things, mostly because a lot of what happened to him tended to be negative.

But this time, he considered, maybe there was no need to.

"I won't be too busy."

…

A/N: I know maybe this still feels a little filler, but I've done some work on my outline and I promise the story will start to pick up in the next few chaps.

Happy reviews are love!


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